Speak and Spell - 1983 vs 2019 model!

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024

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  • @n6vcw
    @n6vcw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1501

    In the early 80s I worked at a library, where we'd loan these units out for a week at a time. It was the most popular item we offered to the public.

    • @antdude
      @antdude 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Weird. I don't remember seeing them in my libraries in CA's schools, and public. Where was yours?

    • @Clay3613
      @Clay3613 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      How often did they need replaced?

    • @McCoy-00
      @McCoy-00 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That’s pretty cool
      th-cam.com/video/MtlI2yc3l5s/w-d-xo.html

    • @atomiswave2
      @atomiswave2 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I had one when I was a kid. Miss it

    • @dcarbs2979
      @dcarbs2979 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Probably like a Raspberry Pi today that my library currently rents out. No idea how popular it is but could well be as none were available when I asked.

  • @herbderbler1585
    @herbderbler1585 2 ปีที่แล้ว +372

    The old voice is legit how it had to sound due to the tech of the day. We all know 2019 tech means the "new" voice is clearly a caracature of the old bitcrunched speech. They did a decent enough job balancing the need to mimic the original while actually making it fully intelligible, but you can never shake the knowledge that it's a gimmick. I guess this is why an old machine that's arguably inferior to even a crappy smart phone is still a highly coveted relic. I compare the satisfaction of hearing the original voice to the sound of degaussing a CRT monitor. Long dead tech for a reason, but darn will it be missed.

    • @lepidotos
      @lepidotos 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      I know the reasons, but as someone with no nostalgia for them, I honestly think CRTs are still the best display technology and will be until microLED comes around, and it was a mistake getting rid of them so soon instead of improving them.

    • @MaximRecoil
      @MaximRecoil 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      "Long dead tech for a reason"
      No good reason, i.e., no performance-related reason. CRTs are still the best looking direct-view video displays and they have no lag. They were ditched because they are expensive to manufacture and heavy/bulky for a given screen size. I think 42" is the largest size a CRT was ever made in, and it was a few hundred pounds.
      There's no reason they couldn't still be making CRT computer monitors though, since something like 25" or 27" is plenty large for a monitor and that's well within the practical size limitations of a CRT. I would take a Sony GDM-FW900 over any monitor made today (they are highly sought after now and sell for four or five thousand dollars; and it has nothing to do with nostalgia). For that matter, I'd take the CRT monitor I'm using right now (21" Mitsubishi Diamondtron) over any monitor made today, which is why I'm still using it (I've been using it daily since 2006, and it was already 2 years old when I bought it). A few years ago it was down for about a week while I had it apart to fix and recap it, and I bought a new 27" LCD monitor to get me by, and I hated it. What a relief it was to my eyes when I got my CRT back up and running.

    • @westelaudio943
      @westelaudio943 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Well it's still an educational a toy for children. Which a smart phone definitely is NOT.

    • @DonSMDT
      @DonSMDT 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      i've got an old monopoly game that my grandma used to own that had similar bitcrushed voices and like yeah there is an appeal to a little old thing trying to talk

    • @RowanBird779
      @RowanBird779 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@MaximRecoil I have a 22" LCD LG Flatron monitor that has this really annoying checkerboard pattern whenever your eyes move while looking at the screen

  • @alexjeanedvard
    @alexjeanedvard 2 ปีที่แล้ว +378

    The reason it doesn’t have the Texas Instruments logo on it is because it is not made by TI, but a company called Basic Fun which acquired the rights in 2019. How cool would it have been if someone else would have thought of that and marketed some weird voice synthesizer machines instead. Just a thought ✨

    • @RhizometricReality
      @RhizometricReality 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Hmm copyright and patents and licenses and other capitalist stuff

    • @R9000
      @R9000 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      "Basic Fun", huh. Well half of that name really shines through in this product, and it's not the second half.

    • @hdofu
      @hdofu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      yeah these days Texas Instruments is creating super calculators that blur the line between computers and adding machines... that kids can now emulate old Nintendo consoles on so they can play pokemon in class.

    • @ybunnygurl
      @ybunnygurl 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Basic Fun, gets rights to produce limited runs of classic toys... They do a poor job of it. Unless its a worlds smallest those are a good jod. (Also Basic Fun is a Mattel company.)

    • @Cr4z3d
      @Cr4z3d 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@ybunnygurl ya, worlds smallest is fun

  • @pepitosbazzeguti1073
    @pepitosbazzeguti1073 2 ปีที่แล้ว +108

    2:43 the jingles you listen as the Speak&Spell turn on are the same you can listen at the very beginning of the song "Home Computer" by Kraftwerk. Being one of the first examples of personal computer, I think it's a pretty awesome reference.

    • @davidmurray591
      @davidmurray591 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I thought that too! never realised that's where the sound came from

    • @RetroDawn
      @RetroDawn ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yep, and some of the other sounds of the original, that are also in that song, are faithfully reproduced. I'm always playing that song in my head when I use this with my son.

    • @brianhebert6152
      @brianhebert6152 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It's also heard in the Eurodisco novelty song "Woodpeckers from Space" by VideoKids

  • @bobbyvarnell9350
    @bobbyvarnell9350 2 ปีที่แล้ว +102

    These seemed incredibly hi-tech when they came out, I remember playing with one in the early 80s, it was like having a robot, or talking computer. If I was shown an IPad back then, I wouldn’t have believed it, it would have seemed like magic!

    • @SpottedBullet
      @SpottedBullet 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. --Arthur C. Clarke

    • @supersmashmaster43
      @supersmashmaster43 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That was my thought when the iPad and iPhone were new. I was 6 when the iPhone came out and 9 with the iPad, both seemed magical in my eyes.

    • @Aaron-hh5tf
      @Aaron-hh5tf หลายเดือนก่อน

      Hehehe So true!

  • @joonglegamer9898
    @joonglegamer9898 2 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    If the screen was a bit better, I think kids would still love it. A students mom gave me a ride home from the school I was subbing at a few years ago, and I invited her in for a cup of coffee, the kid came along (I think he was 8 or 9), he saw my speak & spell (the button version from 1978), and started playing with it. 2 Hours later he was so addicted to it we had a hard time prying it from his hands - he was totally obsessed with getting the words right.

    • @trespire
      @trespire 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @JoOngleGamer Hope the coffee was good.

  • @michelealessandrini3421
    @michelealessandrini3421 2 ปีที่แล้ว +83

    A friend of mine had it back in the 80s, it was really astonishing. I remember she was afraid of the "angry" voice it had when you did multiple mistakes, she prayed me in panic not to write wrong just for the fun of it.

  • @roblyman1545
    @roblyman1545 2 ปีที่แล้ว +201

    The really impressive thing is what an index it is of how far chips have come. The original Speak&Spell was truly cutting edge, driving phoneme data through the LPC engine in a TMS5100 chip, drawing them from 128 KB PROM-the largest capacity ROM you could get at the time. It was state of the art stuff. The new one probably plays 16-bit samples from a gigabyte flash memory like you can buy in an SD card through an off the shelf DAC…the chips probably cost less than the display.

    • @RhizometricReality
      @RhizometricReality 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Cost? 3$. You pay? 30

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      What’s the sample rate of the original phoneme recordings? The crunchyness of the audio (aliasing etc) reminded me of early digital drum machines, AKA no lowpass filter because then it would sound muffled due to sampling too slowly.

    • @roblyman1545
      @roblyman1545 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      @@kaitlyn__L My understanding is that the original didn’t play sound samples at all…the TMS5100 was a formant synthesizer that modeled the human vocal tract. The “samples” were target values for the formant peaks, plus whether it would play a noise source for fricatives, or a tuned pitch for vowels. I’m not sure if there was a low-pass filter at the output, or if so what the cutoff would have been…it does share that “primitive drum machine” sound.
      Ironically, for a little more money in the new one, they probably could have used a cheap ARM processor and simulated the original chip in software, and gotten a sound closer to first S&S.

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@roblyman1545 oh, I totally knew it pieces together the phonemes, but the sample part was just an assumption on my end. So that’s basically like.. well, you could do it on analogue synth modules with the right patches maybe? But in a tiny chip, pre wired just for that. Yeah I mean that’s even more impressive. The audible stair-stepping made me think few-samples but it could just be a low-bit DAC for control of those voice synthesis functions, I mean plenty of synthesisers with save-able patches had that problem with filter sweeps etc too.

    • @josugambee3701
      @josugambee3701 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Ham radio operator speaking here... There is at least one system that does software-synthesis like that. The RLC repeater controllers have a 16-bit microprocessor and a DAC, but not much ROM. The spoken messages you hear over the air strongly resemble the pieced-together phonemes that the TMS5100 produce. Probably because when the controller was designed, the processor was pretty fast but memory was still relatively expensive. So they used a hybrid approach of doing DSP in the processor but still storing the speech as phonemes. It has a bank of a couple hundred phrases that can be spoken under various conditions, including letters, digits, and some other things. Messages are assembled as macros by stringing the phrases together such as "WELCOME. TO. THE. (whatever callsign) REPEATER. P. L. IS. ONE. HUNDRED. HERTZ." Weirdly the official documentation for the RLC-3 lists word #437 as "SEXY". I have no idea why that's included, but oh well.

  • @tbrooks2579
    @tbrooks2579 2 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    I loved my Speak & Spell back in the 80's best Christmas present ever. 😁

  • @TampaTec
    @TampaTec 2 ปีที่แล้ว +84

    I agree, Money saved on circuit board, the company should've improved the screen. I think parents will buy this for nostalgia for kids under 5.

    • @TheCoolDave
      @TheCoolDave 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yea, making these in bulk from China...in their form, I bet they cost like $2-5 to make and selling for $30. They could of afforded to put a little better screen and still make a good profit...
      A kid will play with this for 5 min, and say give me my ipad.....

    • @theninjamaster67
      @theninjamaster67 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@TheCoolDave I'd say 5 bucks is a high estimate honestly the most expensive part would be the body of the device but everything else like the cheap little speaker, circuit board, and screen likely costed literal cents so the 2 dollar estimate is probably much closer.

    • @Cappytain101
      @Cappytain101 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I think if they would’ve kept the high-quality voice but made the screen like the old one this would’ve sold gangbusters.

  • @droknron
    @droknron 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1962

    Imagine being the 8-Bit wife, your husband runs to the door, excited for a package. It's a Speak and Spell then he runs off to his backyard workshop and all you hear is him spelling out words on his Speak and Spell haha
    EDIT: I see a lot of people in the reply to this comment think I'm being offensive. Let me be clear, I love David's content and I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I wasn't making a disparaging remark about him or his content nor was I making any kind of comment about his home life.
    It was just a joke about a grown man buying and using a children's toy which out of context is funny. If the joke offended you or you thought I was being mean, that wasn't my intention with my joke at all.

    • @lunoseleno
      @lunoseleno 2 ปีที่แล้ว +88

      8-Bit Wife...?
      Niiiiiice ☺️

    • @allanfulton8922
      @allanfulton8922 2 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      😂 I'm sure it's not a surprise to her anymore and obviously she doesn't mind.

    • @player1videogames128
      @player1videogames128 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      This made me laugh hard!

    • @X3fern
      @X3fern 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @Nathan Danielson what do you mean

    • @lunoseleno
      @lunoseleno 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      😂😂😂😂 oh boy she better run

  • @FlanylShirtman
    @FlanylShirtman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +158

    I remember as a kid getting the raised button model for Christmas, then about a year later the membrane surface ones came out. I thought that was so cool and futuristic, I was jealous of the kids who got them. Looking back now, with my clicky mechanical keyboard under my fingers, I'd have to say raised buttons all the way.

    • @bepaque
      @bepaque 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      that Dark guy ripped off your comment, he always seems to do that on like every video he's on

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It’s funny how that keeps happening. Membrane buttons, then capacitive buttons, and then modern touchscreens (themselves essentially millions of capacitive buttons).
      I too lusted after such things as a child while now I’m like, annoyed when even the pick-up selector on a guitar is floppy instead of with a very strong positive clicky action.
      (Of course I also have mechanical keyboards. I like Box jade and pink switches, and classic ALPS of course.)

    • @bepaque
      @bepaque 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@kaitlyn__L I too am annoyed at the state of technology interfaces, everything is moving to touchscreens and becoming unnecessarily complicated, even in cars nowadays where obviously you don't want to be distracted by menus or bad controls in general. I am also involved in the mechanical keyboard hobby, I like kailh box jades but I can't afford a whole keyboard of them, both because of the price and because of the noise haha. I use linears now (lubed gateron yellows) but I'll probably move to something tactile soon.

    • @amandanw
      @amandanw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I think I'd agree about the raised buttons. When I was a kid back then, I had some similar Texas Instruments toys that had the flat buttons. I didn't have the exact toy that's in this video, though, just some similar ones by the same company that were out at about the same time. Anyway, I wish mine had had the normal buttons. The flat ones were super hard to push. You had to mash on them until your fingers were sore. One of mine was the blue piano-like toy, the Speak & Music. Try to play a song on that, having to mash every button for two seconds to get it to make any sound at all! Also, it was supposed to be a piano, but you couldn't press more than one note at a time. I mostly played around with the sound effects since I couldn't use it in any piano-like way. And then of course the covering started to peel and curl, and no adhesive on earth could get it to stay in place.
      I loved my Talking Teacher, though. I don't think that one was Texas Instruments. The flat buttons worked ok on that. I played that thing for years. My mom bought the cartridges of higher levels and different subjects as I got older. I'd pretend it was a computer. 😆 Hardly anybody had an actual computer back then.

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@amandanw in many ways it was a computer! Just not one you could program yourself :) really liked your story though, especially the “piano” frustrations! That just screams a product designed by engineers rather than musicians x) “Carl, does it make a note when you press it? Okay, it’s good to go.”

  • @Squonk06
    @Squonk06 2 ปีที่แล้ว +543

    This product is clearly a nostalgia vehicle for older folks who remember these from when they were young. What I find ironic is that modern parents who buy one of these for nostalgia reasons can use the justification that it can be used as an educational tool by their kids, which is exactly the same justification many of them will have used back in the 80s and 90s, as kids themselves, when they begged their own parents to get them a computer so they could play games.

    • @tarstarkusz
      @tarstarkusz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      I don't know WHO this is being marketed for. Any kid who had the original growing up in 1978 is simply too old today to have small children. I was 9 years old when this came out, which is probably slightly on the high age range for this product, but I'm 52 today. My kids are grown. Even if I had a kid at 40, they'd be 12 today and that is just too old for this. It certainly doesn't appeal to kids today. It's BADLY overpriced. 29 bucks for this thing is OUTRAGEOUS.

    • @benh1467
      @benh1467 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yep. Just think how many they're going to sell just from the vintage computing community who watches youtubers.

    • @MarcusTDM
      @MarcusTDM 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@tarstarkusz eh! I had my youngest at 41, he’s 4 now, he can use an android tablet better than i can, he definitely wouldn’t find a speak and spell exciting!

    • @dwaynezilla
      @dwaynezilla 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@tarstarkusz god damn the combination of these two comments is fantastic. Spot-on.

    • @soniccookie655
      @soniccookie655 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@tarstarkusz I think that if someone got it several years after it came out (not sure how long it was for sale though?) and had kids late, probably their kids could be in the right age range. But I’m guessing it’s meant for people to give to their nieces, nephews, and grandkids.

  • @WigWoo1
    @WigWoo1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +612

    Wonder why a 2019 would still look so primitive. They could have put a nice LED or OLED screen in there. I think the new keyboard is a step down

    • @RhizometricReality
      @RhizometricReality 2 ปีที่แล้ว +78

      Have you learned nothing about capitalism?

    • @WigWoo1
      @WigWoo1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +100

      @@RhizometricReality yes. Make an enticing product that catches peoples attention so they will want to purchase it

    • @penatio
      @penatio 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      This is basically a shelf decoration.

    • @danieljones9937
      @danieljones9937 2 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      @@RhizometricReality From a capitalist standpoint, these are going to flop. An almost certain loss for the makers.
      A 2019 version of the S&S is a DOWNGRADE from the 1979/1980 version, and it's not even about build quality, they're /technologically/ inferior.
      Ironically, I suspect whatever SOAC is under the epoxy resin would be capable of a lot more than this; it's a shame 8BG didn't remove it (especially as he dislikes the product) and check. Then again, the part may not be traceable from its markings anyway.
      It's a shame, really; they really could have made the S&S a much better product for not a massively higher pricepoint.

    • @EdKolis
      @EdKolis 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      Wasn't it labeled as 80s Retro Edition or something on the box? Clearly it exists for nostalgia.

  • @PauloOrtolanCinemaniaco
    @PauloOrtolanCinemaniaco 2 ปีที่แล้ว +131

    Back in Brazil, in the 80s', when my father worked for Texas Instruments, the company gave gifts for my brother and me. One of the gifts was the Speak and Spell. I learned how to pronounce the letters and some words in English. I liked the CODE function and when I learned how that works I did CODE on paper with a lot of words and tried it on the toy. When I learned a programming language, I implemented the CODE function in BASIC and later in Java. That's not hard to do. I had lots of fun with this.

    • @retromodernart4426
      @retromodernart4426 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Did you know that one could make a plug-in and get the Speak & Spell to say whatever you want?
      There was a plan in a magazine for an adapter board to hook it up to a ZX81, the speech chip was very good at the time, it was fun working with and very rewarding and all worth it when the Speak & Spell was talking like a sailor, LOL...

    • @qwertykeyboard5901
      @qwertykeyboard5901 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Back in 2021 or something I actually reverse engineered the code function on the modern one! I was bored, didn't want to play on my phone, and was at someone else's house.

    • @BleachDemon707
      @BleachDemon707 17 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      🙄 Sure ya did

  • @LegoWormNoah101
    @LegoWormNoah101 2 ปีที่แล้ว +247

    I don't think the manufacturer intended these Speak & Spell remakes to actually be used as a toy. Looking at it as a novelty decoration that won't be used very often helps me understand the cheapness and intentionally bad screen. It's just not meant to be played with!

    • @pleasedontwatchthese9593
      @pleasedontwatchthese9593 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Yeah, im sure its sold in the adult toy aisle next to the funko pops and stranger things toys

    • @Lachlant1984
      @Lachlant1984 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes it is meant to be played with, I play with mine.

    • @joey_after_midnight
      @joey_after_midnight 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It does look like... 'Its the Thing, Came from Sharper Image'

    • @sorrenblitz805
      @sorrenblitz805 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It's really more meant to teach small children to read and spell and talk it's kinda designed to be used more by parents WITH their children.

    • @tarstarkusz
      @tarstarkusz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The problem with that theory is that we are simply too old unless it's a shelf queen. I'm 52 years old. I don't have 6 year old kids. I couldn't have 6 year old kids unless I had a much younger wife. By 35, getting pregnant and carrying full term is very difficult. The first part of Gen-X is just too old to have small children. The 2nd half of Gen-X and Gen-Y don't have fond memories of these things. The novelty was long gone by the mid 80s. Also, Gen-Y is way more nostalgic for the 90s than the 80s and never saw the 70s.

  • @shanehebert396
    @shanehebert396 2 ปีที่แล้ว +234

    I agree. There is zero purpose for it as the original one was intended. Kids have stuff that is so much better that this may as well be a stone tablet and chisels. Totally nostalgia and if you get it for your kids, it'll never be used. I didn't even realize they came out with a new one. I can't even believe that someone greenlighted it as a legit product.

    • @kiyosenl.3889
      @kiyosenl.3889 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      From the perspective of someone who wouldn't give their younger kid an ipad or computer or phone i think it has some merit, but its just mot really meeting modern standards, like it just could be better in every way, i would rather make something myself out of an Arduino and 3D printed case then buy this

    • @volvo09
      @volvo09 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Yeah, once a kid touches modern tech "it's all over", especially if they've seen a game, or a video, or they spot their parents using them, then all of a sudden they want what mom and dad have.

    • @YKSGuy
      @YKSGuy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@kiyosenl.3889 Ya there are piles of more advanced products from companies like leap frog that do the same and more.

    • @Zveebo
      @Zveebo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      I have a friend who picked this up - her kid loved it. Just because kids have iPads doesn't mean they can't enjoy anything else (witness the fun kids can have with a cardboard box…) A lot of this is old people making assumptions about what kids enjoy.

    • @d.vaughn8990
      @d.vaughn8990 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@ZveeboI agree that many young kids will enjoy this product today. Not every kid has an iphone. Many parents are hesitant/concerned about giving their child a phone until they are "older".
      I disagree with you, that most of the grumbling is coming from older people. I am 52 - I think it's kinda cool! On a side note, I feel sorry for people who grew up with technology since day 1. Most post Gen x'er's will never understand my point of view - but there's more to life than the insatiable quest for the latest and greatest tech.

  • @petebutler5139
    @petebutler5139 2 ปีที่แล้ว +299

    I think we can all agree the new Speak and Spell is just a novelty gift for adults born of the era. As is the re-issue of the Evel Knievel stunt bike playset by Ideal and the re-issue of the Big Trak by MB, all of which I own, lol. Would you consider making a comparison video of the Big Trak; new versus old? Thanks again for your refreshing content and I always look forward to your videos! Merry Christmas 🎄

    • @rnistuk
      @rnistuk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      There's a re-issue of the Evel Knievel stunt bike!?!?!
      I require this to live!

    • @petebutler5139
      @petebutler5139 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@rnistuk oh yeah, there have been a couple over the years but the one that’s on the market now is the best example of the original. It’s made by a company called California Creations and sells for about $40. I bought two of them and they work exactly as they should! There are a bunch of TH-cam videos of 50 year old kids jumping their EK in their driveways. Took mine to my 30 year class reunion and after a few beers, we were fighting over who gets the next go! Now go getchu one and have as much fun as I did!

    • @adventureoflinkmk2
      @adventureoflinkmk2 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I remember crash dummies being revived in 2004 when I just became an adult lol

    • @Clay3613
      @Clay3613 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@petebutler5139 The motorcylce device/crank made for that has been used by multiple franchises. I have Crash Bandicoot toy from 1999 that looks identical aside from color.

    • @petebutler5139
      @petebutler5139 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Clay3613 My son loves crash bandicoot. I will try and find that toy. Do you have a name for it?

  • @NorthernChev
    @NorthernChev 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    Man, I wanted one of these when I was a kid back in the ‘70s SOOOOOO badly. But, I was just a little too old to need what it offered. I just wanted it for the amazing technology. Most toys back then didn’t have this kind of amazing functionality in one package like this did.

  • @nickdavis531
    @nickdavis531 2 ปีที่แล้ว +49

    Interesting fact - the speak and spell was used by music duo LFO from Sheffield and Leeds in England. The sound chip on the original sounds way more bit crushed and more interesting for sure. Original speak and spell all day long.

    • @TransistorBased
      @TransistorBased 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I think more people have used the Speak and Math

    • @mottrex
      @mottrex ปีที่แล้ว +1

      And OMD before them, Genetic Engineering is the song I believe.

    • @williamdrum9899
      @williamdrum9899 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Limp Bizkit used it in their cover of The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes"

    • @jeshkam
      @jeshkam 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      EL! EF! OH!

  • @williamthompson5988
    @williamthompson5988 2 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    "There's not much here" welcome to modern electronics. It's all done using anonymous microcontrollers or the mystery blob

    • @Astro-Rabby
      @Astro-Rabby 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      And everything is so SMALL, too!

    • @polaris911
      @polaris911 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@Astro-Rabby it's impressive and also depressive at the same time

    • @Adrian-wd4rn
      @Adrian-wd4rn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Well. I mean...Advancement in technology. The original needed ALL of that to do simple spelling games. Meanwhile, a board/processor etc that sits in my pocket blows away any computer from the 1960's-early 2000's...

    • @MrCptjsparrow
      @MrCptjsparrow 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Right. The reduction in board size has less to do with cost reduction and more to do with improvements in technology.

  • @jhnhnck
    @jhnhnck 2 ปีที่แล้ว +92

    My mom bought one for herself a couple months back. We played around with it and didn’t have any issues with the screen. Maybe there’s some variation between units. FWIW we had a ton of fun with it

    • @bitcoochie4093
      @bitcoochie4093 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Your mom doesn’t know how to spell?

    • @jhnhnck
      @jhnhnck 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@bitcoochie4093 Yeah she totally can’t. Nobody is allowed to buy things they just want and don’t need to have.

    • @untrust2033
      @untrust2033 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@bitcoochie4093 The 8 bit guy cant spell too apparently :D

    • @james2175
      @james2175 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@untrust2033 Nithar kan I. Doo I nid wan?

    • @oddball119
      @oddball119 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      BAZINGA!!!

  • @RickTheGeek
    @RickTheGeek 2 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    I remember as a kid in the 80s seeing the speak and spell (and it’s brothers the math and reading ones) and being amazed that it could TALK! And it was so cool being in ET too!

    • @volvo09
      @volvo09 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yeah, those were 2 cool things! Making it talk, and the fact that it was in the hottest movie of the time as a critical part of the plot!

    • @joey_after_midnight
      @joey_after_midnight 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      They should have had a Majel Roddenberry "module" for when the kids got a little older and into Star Trek.. 'Working...'

    • @KasumiKenshirou
      @KasumiKenshirou 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The one my family had must've been released after ET came out, as it would give sentences referencing the movie, such as Elliot releasing the frogs.

    • @dangerotterisrea
      @dangerotterisrea 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The professor!? I think that was the maths one I think

  • @HailAnts
    @HailAnts 2 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    You used to occasionally see these units’ screens used in low budget sci-fi movies, as they were the only thing that could display numbers _and_ letters!
    Sometimes they’d use its voice too!

  • @Abc-to6im
    @Abc-to6im 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I'm not a kid from the 80's I'm from the 2000's but mate, watching this videos just make me so happy and nostalgic although I never experienced that childhood.
    I think it's because I got to play with some 80's toys and I just thought they were cool.
    I love your videos so much! Please keep it up, and thanks for bringing to us this experience again!!!!!

  • @kenji642
    @kenji642 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    Fun fact: the speak n spell shares some chips with the Chrysler "Electronic Voice Alert" system found in chryslsr cars from the era

    • @Alibm80
      @Alibm80 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @Capt Shiny lol!

    • @jackkraken3888
      @jackkraken3888 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      "The door is ajar. "
      Me on weed:"Woah dude, how did the door turn into a jar."

    • @Mogipbob
      @Mogipbob 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      "Your door is ajar"

  • @kevnar
    @kevnar 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

    "C... R... A... P.... that is incorrect. The correct spelling of jungle is..."
    The entire purpose of this thing back in the 80s was making it say funny words.

    • @caeserromero3013
      @caeserromero3013 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      100% That's basically all I ever did with mine. Spell Apple: W.A.N.K.E.R that is incorrect you spelled WANKER 😂

    • @jmreagle
      @jmreagle 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes, exactly. It was better than looking up dirty words in the dictionary.

  • @mccrh7737
    @mccrh7737 2 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    I had one as a kid and it helped alot with early schooling. I think the new one should have brail on the keys and a word-by-word talking features. Both would be useful for kids with disabilities :) This device could be retooled to be a very useful device for many people, just gotta think outside the box ;)

  • @klinkske
    @klinkske 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Very true. I showed my speak and spell from the 80’s and the 10 year old girl looked at me, speaking dutch, interested in english lessons. She was not interested in it at all. She was thinking ‘you are weird being enthusiastic about that’

  • @mikeselectricstuff
    @mikeselectricstuff 2 ปีที่แล้ว +189

    Is that 8-pin chip a SPI flash? If so, it's hackable...

    • @cyberguy4567
      @cyberguy4567 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      So... doom?

    • @stellarbastard98
      @stellarbastard98 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      @@cyberguy4567 doom on a segment display is practically impossible

    • @chrisakaschulbus4903
      @chrisakaschulbus4903 2 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@stellarbastard98 "doom on a segment display is practically impossible"
      It's always people like you that need to shit in the batter, ruining the cake for everyone. What do you say in your defense?

    • @JacobHollis96
      @JacobHollis96 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@stellarbastard98 that's what they said about the idea of computers, mobile phones, smartphones, and pretty much everything else you can think of that advanced our civilization.

    • @CommanderTK9091
      @CommanderTK9091 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@JacobHollis96 on a display of that size, it’s literally not possible.

  • @Somelucky
    @Somelucky 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I explained to my kids that the Speak & Spell was my iPad before when I was young and before I got a computer. Seeing their wide eyes trying to contemplate the change in technology is priceless.

  • @graealex
    @graealex 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    The battery compartment needed a redesign anyway, as nowadays most countries will require it using an actual screw, so kids can't take out the batteries and swallow them. Parents complained that it gave their kids too much energy.

    • @johndododoe1411
      @johndododoe1411 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      C-cell batteries can't be swallowed by small kids. Though D cells are safer, being the size of duplo® bricks. This new circuit is small enough to allow a much flatter case.

    • @graealex
      @graealex 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@johndododoe1411 CPSC requires all access to batteries in toys marketed for children up to 3 years be through a cover with a screw, regardless of battery size. Battery size is only relevant for toys marketed at older children. The Speak and Spell is marketed towards 7 - 15 years, so the C-cells might not have counted as a safety hazard, if they hadn't been shrinked. Obviously the driving force for using these large batteries was the vacuum fluorescent display, that the new version doesn't have anyway.

    • @a4000t
      @a4000t 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      These the same kids eating tide pods? figures :)

  • @ChrisDreher
    @ChrisDreher 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    That brings back memories! Our family had the Speak & Spell with an expansion pack and a Speak & Read. "Wrong, try again" is burned into my mind. ;-)

    • @jsteezy80
      @jsteezy80 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I can still hear it in my mind today lol

    • @TyphinHoofbun
      @TyphinHoofbun 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I had the Speak & Spell (red), Speak & Read (yellow), and Speak & Math (gray), but didn't have the optional expansion cartridges.

  • @Blitterbug
    @Blitterbug 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Seeing as we're taught to read from five/six in school, this would make a great infant-school or home-school teaching aid. Speaking from experience with my own four kids, now all adults, even if it never gets much home use, it still makes a great device for hard-pressed teachers to give out to six-seven year olds.

  • @inphanta
    @inphanta 2 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    If they really wanted to keep the brand alive, they should’ve just made a Speak and Spell app that maybe sounds like the original, with in-app purchases replacing the modules on the original unit. As an educational device for teaching kids to spell, it would’ve made a lot more sense.

    • @SFVYachtClub
      @SFVYachtClub 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Congratulations on posting the stupidest take of the day

    • @inphanta
      @inphanta 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@SFVYachtClub you’re welcome.

    • @2GlitchinAwesome
      @2GlitchinAwesome 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      With in app purchases? Maybe they could include everything in the price of the app.. I do actually see this selling tbh

    • @eekee6034
      @eekee6034 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @sunshinepossum "Ludicrous" was how I viewed a lot of paid upgrades from the 80s on. When the program a company sells cheaply or even gives away free is clearly the part with all the engineering hard work, why do they make you pay so much for bits of data to work with it? But it all makes sense in the bizzarre worlds of economics and marketing. Sometimes, to be fair, the little bits of data cost more than you'd expect.

    • @Talamasca007
      @Talamasca007 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      You can download a free Speak 'n' Spell game app on your phone, no purchases necessary. Nostalgic enough for me but like he said, I doubt the kids in the family would be impressed with the new 3D model.

  • @Renville80
    @Renville80 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I think you were spot on with your assessment, David. Nostalgia is the only thing going for these, and given that originals can still be had for a decent price, one would be better off just seeking out one of the originals instead. I never had one myself eith, but knew some kids who did. The closest I got was a Mattel Brain Baffler game for Christmas one year.

  • @mozamboni
    @mozamboni 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Proof positive that David can talk about ANYTHING and it is a worthwhile episode!

  • @boxman139
    @boxman139 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    1:44 I like the subtle "dammit" that David uttered.

    • @vest816
      @vest816 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I thought somebody was whispering in the cubicle next to me. I had to rewind to confirm it was my headphones.

  • @computernerdinside
    @computernerdinside 2 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    Just a thought, those original batteries you took out of the new speak and spell are probably still good, and that tab was the only thing keeping it from turning on.

    • @nodak81
      @nodak81 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      lol, that's all I could think about during the whole video.

    • @herculesbrofister265
      @herculesbrofister265 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      That's funny that the box would say Try Me when it has that tab preventing it from turning on.

    • @BeersAndBeatsPDX
      @BeersAndBeatsPDX 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@herculesbrofister265 The tab was most likely supposed to be removed at the store.

    • @fun2building
      @fun2building 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Just like a virtual pet!

  • @audvidgeek
    @audvidgeek 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    i will say that my old Speak and Spell was an amazing teaching tool for my son when we adopted him from China at 4 years old, not knowing a bit of English. He played with it for hours. Within 6 months he was speaking in sentences, and in a year, could spell most common English words...I think this device contributed to this fast learning!

    • @herculesbrofister265
      @herculesbrofister265 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      The fact he's Asian and therefore smart helps, too. And chinese are legendary hard workers

    • @varahunter68
      @varahunter68 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@herculesbrofister265 is this a compliment?

  • @stellajacobson231
    @stellajacobson231 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I know this has nothing to do with the actual video but just have to tell you that you have the best intro I've ever come across on TH-cam. It always puts a smile on my face:)

    • @Squonk06
      @Squonk06 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      IIRC he's had this version since sometime in mid-to-late 2017, and every time I see it, I hope that he never changes it. It's just perfect at setting the mood for an 8-Bit Guy video.

  • @adamgardner28
    @adamgardner28 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I loved my Speak & Math, even played the "Number Stumper" guessing game even in high school. I was always hoping TI would re-release it with a dot-matrix screen like on their TI graphing calculators.

  • @bfs87
    @bfs87 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    David has once again made my day, all of the videos have a unique infinitely re-watchable characteristic.

  • @MarioRBSouza
    @MarioRBSouza 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I remember it when an American English teacher of mine, resident in Brazil, brought a model like this from the US. I created a computer course at his English school and developed some language learning software for TRS 80. As an electrical engineer, this caught my attention and was a very important and expected moment for me. I remember like it was today. Thanks for sharing.

  • @Calthecool
    @Calthecool 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    “Well, it’s time to take this thing apart.”
    Me: “it’s just going to be an epoxy blob isn’t it.”

  • @hjalfi
    @hjalfi 2 ปีที่แล้ว +210

    Regarding hackability: I can't read the number on the chip, but I'm willing to guess that the little eight-pin chip next to the blob is a flash SPI rom containing certainly the audio samples but possibly also the software. It'd be interesting to dump it and see what's there. If you're very lucky it might be reprogrammable. I'm sure there's something cool you could do with it.

    • @danman32
      @danman32 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Sure, change what's in Flash, but what good is that if you don't know what CPU is being used?

    • @hjalfi
      @hjalfi 2 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      @@danman32 If you find some machine code you can figure out the CPU from there --- there are automated tools which do this. I've just been helping on a project to decode a similar board for a music player toy (which was why the chip caught my eye). We've figured out it's an exotic 8051 clone with 16-bit instruction extensions, it loads its program from flash, and I even have a compiler backend for it. Sadly I don't have any actual hardware because the Aliexpress seller who sent it to me ripped me off. I wouldn't be surprised if this board used the same hardware, in fact, as the AC1082 CPU is very popular in MP3 players.

    • @DangerousPictures
      @DangerousPictures 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@danman32 the flash probably only stores the samples and dictionary.

    • @shaanee
      @shaanee 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I doubt thats a flash rom... but there’s a good chance its programmable ... it might just be licensed from TI and has been reverse engineered.. just a matter of tracking down the details.

    • @JohnSmith-xq1pz
      @JohnSmith-xq1pz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      I'll be honest. If I had the knowledge and skills I'd teach it bad words

  • @alexjeanedvard
    @alexjeanedvard 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    If anyone hasn’t watched The 8-Bit Guy’s video on Voice Synthesis, now would be the perfect time. It is delightful and the reason why I knew he wouldn’t regard this remake very highly 💫

  • @twocvbloke
    @twocvbloke 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    My dad got me one at a car boot sale back in the 90s, I think he was more fascinated by it being able to synthesise a human(ish) voice than I was, I found it about as fun to use as a Sinclair ZX81, cos even at that point we had BBC micros (still!) in school that were "better", it was still just as bad mind, but at least you didn't end up with a numb finger that you did from "typing" on the membrane keyboard... :P

    • @danieljones9937
      @danieljones9937 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@McCoy-00 I did. I had a ZX81 with 16K RAMpack back in the day. I remember typing in a two-page hex dump of a game for it from a magazine (I think it was Your Computer or similar) with my dad. It took what seemed like forever. When we were finished, we were supposed to save it and not try and list it as it would crash the machine. I didn't know that and before my dad could stop me I did try to list it and guess what...
      My dad just walked off at that point. I typed it in again on my own though and it didn't seem to take as long TBH. That time I just saved it. :)
      I /think/ it was 'Bipods', one of the few 'hi-res' games for the machine.

  • @lettuce7378
    @lettuce7378 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love the new studio! first time watching in a while, and you're production is still the same level of amazing!

  • @gregorymccoy6797
    @gregorymccoy6797 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Played with one as a kid. Thought I was living in the future. It was entertaining for it's time. Geez, I'm the target market.

  • @marklechman2225
    @marklechman2225 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Wanted one of these soooo badly as a kid. I remember a couple of friends bringing theirs to school after Christmas break. Of course we would try to make it say all kinds of bad words but the Speak & Spell knew better! 😂

    • @pauligrossinoz
      @pauligrossinoz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You've got to be joking ... the original wouldn't say f### or c### ? Why would they even bother to code that limitation?
      Now I think about it ... that means that they gave the early test models to teenagers to play with, of course! ;-)

    • @pauligrossinoz
      @pauligrossinoz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @Shawn Beattie - yeah, silly me. Of course they didn't have generic speech synthesis back then. They must have recorded a dude saying each word, and he sure as hell wasn't going to record rude words! 🤣

  • @DaedalusYoung
    @DaedalusYoung 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "ET phone home!"
    "Nah, you're stuck here, no circuit bending in _this_ Speak and Spell for you."

  • @megaglowz8540
    @megaglowz8540 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    I was honestly waiting for "Petscii Robots invade the Speak and Spell" And the challenge of getting it to run on the older model :)

    • @damionlee7658
      @damionlee7658 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      But can it run Doom?

    • @notthatntg
      @notthatntg 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@damionlee7658 Well done! The 8-Bit Guy will now send you 42 Commodore 64s.

    • @damionlee7658
      @damionlee7658 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@notthatntg oh no, I have been told I have enough of those here. My wife would crucify me if I get any more to fill my shelves.

    • @notthatntg
      @notthatntg 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@damionlee7658 Oops...

    • @morganrussman
      @morganrussman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Honestly, that does sound like it would be a good name for a game.

  • @caprisun6910
    @caprisun6910 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This was my favorite toy growing up (the 80s version is the model im familiar with) theres something about the voice that ive always loved. Hearing it makes my heart sing with nostalgia ❤

  • @johncollins158
    @johncollins158 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    You are great in every content you provide, I've been watching you since 5 years, I watched all of your keyboards demonstrations, video games cartridges, 8bit music and much more, thank you!

  • @MichaelBennett1
    @MichaelBennett1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    The difference in those batteries shows how efficient electronics have become in power usage terms - might be down to the display too though.

    • @ElectroDFW
      @ElectroDFW 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yeah, the VFDs were power hungry.

    • @RhizometricReality
      @RhizometricReality 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      This is not efficient or cool. They could of made it usb recharged and spent 50c more per unit but no you need to still use wasteful disposable cells.

    • @MichaelBennett1
      @MichaelBennett1 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@RhizometricReality Nearly all types of batteries can be recycled. Our local council does at least.

    • @sowa705
      @sowa705 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@RhizometricReality adding a li-ion battery,protection circuit, charging chips and a usb connector would quite a lot to the cost, also its going to run for a VERY long time on those AA's

    • @MrDuncl
      @MrDuncl 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@RhizometricReality Having just found a swollen Li-ion Battery in one of my cameras I would say there is a far better chance of this still working in twenty years time than any device with a rechargeable battery. Anyway, I expect you could put rechargeable NiMH AAs in it.

  • @bobblum5973
    @bobblum5973 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    At 5:04 when the case is open, the small white rectangular part may be what I've seen in other devices, a holder for a few small coin cells which provide the short-lived power for the demo mode. Pulling that tab out switches from the (probably dead) coin cells to the batteries in the main compartment.

  • @joshmcgootermier2301
    @joshmcgootermier2301 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Wow. Just gave mine from the 80s to my daughter. So glad you made this.

    • @player1videogames128
      @player1videogames128 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      How cool, does she enjoy it? With the new technology out I would be interested if it would entities today

    • @joshmcgootermier2301
      @joshmcgootermier2301 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@player1videogames128 totally does. She's two so carrying it is quite the workout.
      I think the one benefit of it is that it is what it is and that there aren't side distractions and applications like using a tablet.

    • @player1videogames128
      @player1videogames128 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      So cool! Glad you get to pass that down to your little girl!

  • @SurprenantJamesAB1DQ
    @SurprenantJamesAB1DQ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    If I were on the design team for the 2019 edition, I would have lobbied for a USB charging port and Bluetooth capability to drive modern earbuds. I think that since the modern edition could not be a 100% clone of the original, these features would bring a couple of 21st century technologies to the product w/o killing the nostalgia factor. Unless of course the design team felt part of the retro appeal would be for today's child to experience the thrill of changing batteries just like grandmama did before the turn of the century,
    Great video as always David, thanks!

    • @matttintoshplus5369
      @matttintoshplus5369 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It would cost wayyy more tho, kind of unnecessary

    • @VraerynDaDragon
      @VraerynDaDragon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@matttintoshplus5369 Not really. Charging circuits, bluetooth radios, and small lithium batteries...they're a dime a dozen nowadays. Really, they could have enabled all this tech with one or two additional PCBs that may even be smaller than the one that is already in there. Even adding a headphone port would be as simple as routing the signal that already goes through the speaker to a muting circuit that re-routes the audio signal when something is plugged in.
      Adding all that would cost nothing at all, even that modern one likely uses off-the-shelf components that probably cost pennies, the only thing the company needed to "make" is the plastic shell, I am fairly certain all they really did was load a custom firmware on a generic LCD board with audio decoding capabilities. All the tech mentioned by James could probably have been added with little to no dent in profit margin.

  • @Noweee
    @Noweee 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Offered the original to my son around his 6yo and he kept using it for a few days, successfully too. There is a narrow market for these kids that doesn't yet own a cellhone and are curious enough.
    I wouldn't even have tried the new version though, what's interesting is the original sound, and fiddling around with it makes it an entertaining project.

  • @j.d.6915
    @j.d.6915 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I loved my 80's speak and spell. Probably one of the reasons I'm such a good speller. I agree that it had a magical feeling that it could talk, just like the Sound Blaster in the early 90's.

  • @darktetsuya
    @darktetsuya 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I mean I remember having one as a kid, sure yeah it was neat at the time but these days it's just not that novel anymore. I *will* say I was blown away during the teardown and seeing almost nothing on the inside, man the tech has come pretty far since then, huh? Now if they'd re-released the big blocky Entex Super Cobra, that one I might pick up!

  • @nomusicrc
    @nomusicrc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I got the vintage one that has the flat buttons on it last year I absolutely love it I didn't know they re-released these I wouldn't have bought it anyways thank you for this video comparing them and actually taking it apart

  • @psoarchive
    @psoarchive 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    In my own personal opinion the real reasoning why "Speak & Spell", "Speak & Read", Speak & Math(? think that was the name at least), and that other TI unit I can never remember the name of, were actually discontinued was because companies, such as VTech, came onto the scene in the late 1980's with vastly more sophisticated educational computer toys that incorporated virtually everything that all four of the TI units did into a single device with a pixelized LCD screens that offered simple animations and a better selection of games. For a period of a few years the major retailers of the era (K-Mart, Toys'R'Us, Brendles, etc...) often had anywhere from a half-aisle to a whole aisle dedicated to these edutainment electronics with all the big $100+ models being on display to try out. VTech is still a major player in the educational game-cartridge based video games console and hand held systems market, having released at least a good half-dozen or more educational video game system system platforms since the turn of the century. So it isn't that these types of educational toys have gone away, rather they've morphed into something quite different looking than what we use to have.

    • @laurad3497
      @laurad3497 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      We had speak and math, none of the others. It was gray and navy.

    • @psoarchive
      @psoarchive 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      "Speak & Spell Compact" Was the name of the fourth device I couldn't recall the name of when leaving my original comment. Speak & Spell Compact was less than half the size of the regular Speak & Spell, used only a single 9v battery, and had no display screen. I had one as a young child.

  • @-IMAGINE_
    @-IMAGINE_ ปีที่แล้ว +9

    As soon as I heard this thing in "Heaven Says" I wanted this so bad so I could make it sing. Idk what the hell is wrong with me but I want one of these from 1978 and look at when this comment is being written 😭💀💀

    • @JadePlays364
      @JadePlays364 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Now spell ANSWER

    • @rianeablaza53
      @rianeablaza53 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ME ASF

    • @spoon3141
      @spoon3141 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@JadePlays364 f r e e d o m

  • @Zenas521
    @Zenas521 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I'm surprised they didn't re-release a three in one combo unit. Their was a speak and math, speak and spell, and a speak and... read? They certainly have the space for it.

  • @autobotjazz1972
    @autobotjazz1972 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Well i can honestly say that the innards of the 2019 remake is about what i'd have expected. It mostly has the look but inside costs were cut to the bone, though to be fair some of that is tech allowing the speak and spell to function with far fewer components. The dropping of the head phone jack and ac adapter ports seems hard to excuse but were undoubted part of the cost cutting.

    • @dgpsf
      @dgpsf 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Dropping the AC i can understand, with a VFD that old one would probably have been pretty hard on the batteries, and those C cells are pretty expensive. If it came with the AC adapter that was probably a great feature to have. But I bet the new one would last for months on the AAs with low power chips and an LCD.

    • @autobotjazz1972
      @autobotjazz1972 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@dgpsf agreed this new version is likely far more power efficient than the original. That again is down to how far tech has improved since the speak and spell was created.

  • @MrGeoffHilton
    @MrGeoffHilton 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Your appraisal of the 2019 model is spot on, I'm sure most people of our age group will have any number of old ipads or android tablets lurking in their home and each would be infinitely more useful than that garbage.

    • @KRAFTWERK2K6
      @KRAFTWERK2K6 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yup, i rather use a VST version made by a fan that consists of samples of the original rather than buying this terrible retro-cashgrab that doesn't even sound like the original >_>

  • @galevgeniy8684
    @galevgeniy8684 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    My first time on this channel. I was expecting more nostalgia, but you deliver a" whole package" in terms of review and critique.

  • @beardalaxy
    @beardalaxy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Oh man, this brought back some crazy memories. My grandparents still had the one they bought for their kids when I was growing up and I used to play on this thing all the time. When my dad would quiz me on my spelling tests he'd say it in the voice of the Speak and Spell. "That is correct. Now spell *exacerbate* ."

  • @racecar_spelled_backwards868
    @racecar_spelled_backwards868 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    IIRC the OG Speak-and-Spell voice was tied up with Chrysler! Chrysler got TI to do voice modulation in some of their higher end cars (New Yorker) and the S&S was a product of the repurposing of the voice modulator chipset. I also remember Chrysler charging more for a female voice! I think it was Chrysler -> Speak-and-Spell but it may be vice versa.

    • @racecar_spelled_backwards868
      @racecar_spelled_backwards868 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@slightlyevolved From the early 80's there were 2 models I think 4 was 4KB ROM and the other was 16KB. th-cam.com/video/8DwKqCZlKnw/w-d-xo.html

  • @MrTree1779
    @MrTree1779 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Consumers are so habituated to purchasing 1970s-1990s "nostalgia" items (especially when they don't even need the item), that a marketing research group discovered that enough people would purchase this to make it profitable. What a waste of money and plastic. --- Still, as always, this was an informative little video. Thanks, David.

  • @Lachlant1984
    @Lachlant1984 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I like the 2019 version of Speak & Spell, yes, the voice is totally different, and it's too bad it doesn't work with the original word modules, but I still enjoy playing with mine. The fact is the modern version of Speak & Spell teaches something very important, spelling, how many people do you know who can't spell? I know a number of them.

    • @charlie_nolan
      @charlie_nolan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep. I know many people with terrible spelling who could use one of these

    • @jsax01001010
      @jsax01001010 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@stephanrewind Yeah, and predictive text and autocorrect certainly don't help. As long as you can approximate the phonetic sound of the beginning of each word, it does the rest. I only actually typed two or three whole words in this entire paragraph.

    • @SpearM3064
      @SpearM3064 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I've got a friend named Steve who is not dyslexic, but when we were in college (we both owned C64's), I offered him a copy of a word processor with a spell checker that could store about 2,000 words on a standard 5.25" disk. He joked, "Mark, we both know I can't think of 2,000 different words, but I _can_ think of 2,000 different ways to spell the same word." He probably wasn't far off the mark; he's the only guy I know who misspelled "knife" three different ways on the _same sheet of paper._

    • @charlie_nolan
      @charlie_nolan 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@stephanrewind not just kids… adults. One of my coworkers had a major spelling error yesterday on a large paper they put on a wall

  • @HighTen_Melanie
    @HighTen_Melanie 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Really enjoyed watching this video. Thanks for sharing. I had the 80s version of the Speak and Spell in 1983 when I was around 7. I absolutely loved it. I was the only child in my class to have one. Being dyslexic, it was a good way to learn to spell. I’m so grateful to have had an interactive toy that was a fun way to learn, considering the technology at the time. I recently bought the “ET model” on eBay can’t wait to receive it! My Dad has just informed me that my old one still works so will end up with an extra one. I also had speak and maths but unfortunately it apparently died. It was never quite quite as fun.

  • @tldchuck5043
    @tldchuck5043 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I just turned 31 and I remember absolutely loving these things when I was around 6-10yrs old. I still have this one, the grey one and the yellow one.

  • @vcv6560
    @vcv6560 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    "Not all change is progress." Paul Harvey. The whole Speak & Spell / Math / Read WAS amazing for the late 70s. Computers and Electronics (formally Popular Electronics) magazine featured an article on interfacing to a Sinclair ZX-81. Feb 83, "Talk Can be Cheap" pg. 39 available now, like so much else on-line!

  • @midimusicforever
    @midimusicforever 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I think the remake's design shows proper homage to the original. But it for sure ain't identical.

    • @WhatALoadOfTosca
      @WhatALoadOfTosca 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It looks a bit like a Chinese knock-off. The printed keyboard is poorly done.

    • @dcarbs2979
      @dcarbs2979 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@WhatALoadOfTosca Probably because it is!

  • @thecaveofthedead
    @thecaveofthedead 2 ปีที่แล้ว +99

    Designed, specced, and priced for Gen-X impulse buying.

    • @Flatcetera
      @Flatcetera 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Designed, specced and priced for late stage capitalism where cutting corners is more important than making a good product. This is not a generational issue, it’s an economic and cultural one.

    • @harrkev
      @harrkev 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Now we are just waiting for the keychain version that runs on LR44 batteries.

    • @HelloKittyFanMan.
      @HelloKittyFanMan. 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cave: And your attempted point is...?

    • @HelloKittyFanMan.
      @HelloKittyFanMan. 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@Flatcetera: The voice got _better,_ actually.

    • @HelloKittyFanMan.
      @HelloKittyFanMan. 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Capt Shiny: Yes, it could've stayed like the 80s voice, or even gotten like the 70s one, duh.

  • @kaitlyn__L
    @kaitlyn__L 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like how the eBay listing for a “1978 vintage” unit you show is clearly actually the 2019 reissue going by the picture - no TI logo.

  • @thinkingfield
    @thinkingfield 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is the only channel where I would watch an unboxing of a speak and spell.

  • @Corad4
    @Corad4 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    The one aspect I quite like about the original is how it sounds. I love the way the voice sounds like. The new one is just too clear and it loses that charm

  • @cyberyogicowindler2448
    @cyberyogicowindler2448 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    As a nerd/nostalgia product they should have put at least an emulator of the original voice algorithm into the remake Speak&Spell (if too expensive, at least use samples of the 1980th authentic voice). For musicians those might be interested too, they should have also added the contents/words of all cartridges those existed for the original, and possibly a synth mode that (particularly if speech is emulated) could play with sound parameters to mimic some circuitbent sound tricks of the original.

    • @keyhoarder
      @keyhoarder ปีที่แล้ว

      Good point i wrote the same one minute ago. synth mode would be great. so, at the moment, is better to use some speech synthesis or buy arturia microfreak :)

  • @MrBenMcLean
    @MrBenMcLean 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    The biggest problem with the new model isn't the hardware IMO. Even the bad screen isn't quite as big a deal as the fact that THEY CHANGED THE VOICE! Speak 'n Spell's unique voice is the whole point of the nostalgia part and without the Speak 'n Spell voice, this is junk.

    • @OrchidAlloy
      @OrchidAlloy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      But the original voice was barely intelligible

    • @AutPen38
      @AutPen38 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      But that added to the "fun", since half the skill in winning the games came from working out what the machine was trying to say. Changing the voice at this juncture is like when Stephen Hawking was offered a new speech synthesiser. He turned it down, because the old one was "better" even though it was technically inferior to newer technology. Some things are better left unchanged.

  • @NighT-WolF85
    @NighT-WolF85 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This means we need a combination of the old visuals and the new sounds. Now i'm just waiting to see that. :)

  • @AndrewHillis_2024
    @AndrewHillis_2024 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    THIS DEVICE WAS SO GOOD THAT DEPECHE MODE'S FIRST ALBUM WAS CALLED 'SPEAK AND SPELL' AND OMD USED IT ON THE TRACK 'GENETIC ENGINEERING' FROM THE 'DAZZLE SHIPS' ALBUM ! ! !

  • @rvaughan74
    @rvaughan74 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I could see this as useful to the Millenials who are just now having kids. Something like this is exactly what I'd give to a toddler, though I do know that "kid proof" tablets are being made too.

    • @OlpusBonzo
      @OlpusBonzo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Frankly, I would like to give simple educational electronic toys like this to my eventual kids instead of a tablet or a smartphone.

  • @itaishemer
    @itaishemer 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    The older design looks a lot more inclusive (for the most part) than the newer model. In the old version, not only are the buttons way more textile, but also the inclusion of the headphone jack can help kids with hearing impairment, or the clearer screen screen for vision impaired. You can also say the same for the flat vs. textile buttons. Cost reduction in manufacturing is great, but not when it hurts the design of the product.
    However, the new model has a much clearer voice, and I bet they could store a lot more memory on the device itself, making the need for additional cartridges unnecessary.

    • @pankaburek59
      @pankaburek59 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      With voice you are right but whatever orginal has best voice

  • @RetroRepairGuy
    @RetroRepairGuy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thanks for the trip back in time. You are right it's more for us to buy and keep on display than for our kids to play with but then why make it so cheap. In the 1979 Sears Wishbook on page 657 they sell it for $58.99 which is as you said over $200 in today's economy. They could have still made it a little better and sell it for $20-$30 more so we get something decent.

  • @RedMorgan79
    @RedMorgan79 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hey David, thank you so much for bringing the tempo of your intro music back up to the original level. The slower version was just a tiny bit off but since I've seen all the videos as they came out I definitely heard the difference and the audionerd in me perked up. Ok byyyeeeeeeeee...

  • @amyryan7598
    @amyryan7598 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Glad I watched your video. I knew none of this. I want the original, and thanks to you, I now know what to look for. Thank you for making the video!

  • @mrmimeisfunny
    @mrmimeisfunny 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    "Been on the market for a little bit over a year"
    "Released in 2019"
    You really forgot we are almost in 2022. I understand tho.

    • @The8BitGuy
      @The8BitGuy  2 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      To be fair, I started this video months ago.

    • @AndrewHalliwell
      @AndrewHalliwell 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@The8BitGuy to be extra fair, 2020was the year that never... Well... Was.

  • @JadePlays364
    @JadePlays364 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Now spell ANSWER

    • @joannajeter9994
      @joannajeter9994 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      F-R-E-E-D-O-M

    • @Hall_Tally
      @Hall_Tally 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Wrong try again

  • @hywelw
    @hywelw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I don't know if there's a British version of this "reboot" version... but I bet it doesn't make the complete HASH the original British version made of the letter "Z". My cousin had the first generation raised button version and the British version of course had all the British spellings of the words (all the same words I understand - just the UK spellings).
    What always cracked us up was how the machine would pronounce the letter "Z". Obviously, the Brit version couldn't say Zee (although we knew you Americans used this weird way of saying the letter from Sesame Street which aired here almost unedited at the time too).
    Pressing Z on the original (and second generation flat button) British version ended up with a completely different sounding voice saying something close to Zead with the sounding a bit like white noise! Oh how we laughed and got more fun out of that noise alone than actually using it for spelling tests!
    Everything else about the UK version was the same as the American version including its American accent, which today resembles a cruder version of Professor Stephen Hawkins' speech synthesiser.

    • @AutPen38
      @AutPen38 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      The thing I most remember was that it used American spellings, which made it somewhat useless as an education aid for British kids. I used to hate how it would say that my spelling of "Colour" was incorrect when it obviously wasn't. Because of this, I've hated America and everything American ever since 1981.

  • @goshdarntootin
    @goshdarntootin 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is why I love this channel you never know what kinda stuff to expect in the next video :D

  • @wildsmiley
    @wildsmiley 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Earlier this year, I picked up the 1983 membrane keyboard version of the Speak & Spell (the model I had as a kid in the '80s) from Fifty-Two '80s, an amazing store in my hometown of Denver that is packed with '80s toys and other stuff. It came with the original instructions and an E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial module for it with instructions for that as well. It brought back a flood of memories. I love fiddling around with it.

  • @MetralletaLuis
    @MetralletaLuis 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Honestly, even if you want it for nostalgia, the fact that the old one uses 4 freaking C batteries makes a very good case for getting the new one

  • @Kryasil
    @Kryasil 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I think it's incredibly impressive how in some 30 odd years, we're able to make something so small that works the same as something many times larger from a while ago.

    • @dakotahrickard
      @dakotahrickard 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You know what? I genuinely admire your positivity about this. I left a ranting, long-winded comment (as is my style) about how companies are stripping the soul from our nostalgia over these things, but I must also admit to the truth in your words.
      We're looking at something that was absolutely cutting-edge back when it was designed. Now, there's no problem making something that seems similar with off-the-shelf components. Honestly, it could be made even smaller, which just goes to show how far we've come.
      Thank you for adding a dose of positivity to my cynicism and frustration. It helps me stay grounded and makes my perspective more pleasant, if nothing else.

  • @Melissa0774
    @Melissa0774 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    So who makes the new Speak N Spell now? I had one of these when I was a kid in the early 90's. My dad worked at Texas Instruments at the time and he met the guy who did the voice recordings for the Speak N Spell. I also had the math and music ones. But my favorite TI toy was the Voyager. You really need to find one of those on eBay and do a video on it! It was a head set with a microphone, where a guy asks' you questions about different topics in the books that come with it. You could answer "yes," "no," "true," or "false," into the microphone and it would respond. It had all kinds of quizzes and games and stuff. It came with removable cartridges and books on different topics like, space, dinosaurs, prehistoric animals, etc. I still have my old Voyager, but unfortunately it no longer works and I only have one cartridge. I've always wanted to know more about the guy who did the voice recordings for it because he was so funny! My favorite feature was the voice change function. He reminded me of that scene in Mrs. Doubtfire where Robbin Williams is explaining to the social worker what he does as a cartoon voice actor. He'd be like, "Do you want me to change my voice?" Then you respond yes or no for each one. He'd be like, "OK HOW 'BOUT I SOUND LIKE THIS? or h o w ' b o u t i s o u n d l i k e this? or HOW'boutIsoundLIKEthis?" You get what I mean, right? (I'm trying my best to convey in writing, what they guy in the headset sounded like. It was a breakthrough in voice recognition technology at the time. I really with someone would do a TH-cam video about one and I can't believe no one has, yet.

    • @craigjensen6853
      @craigjensen6853 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Wait, there was an actual guy who had that voice? Boy, he must have been fun to work with. I would have loved going to meetings and listening to him speak (and perhaps even spell). I wonder if he ever had to let people go and went up to them and said "spell 'fired'" {employee: f-i-r-e-d} "correct. pack your things".

    • @Melissa0774
      @Melissa0774 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@craigjensen6853 Yeah, unfortunately, I can't remember his name and my dad died four years ago.

    • @craigjensen6853
      @craigjensen6853 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Melissa0774 Sorry to hear that.

  • @BigHappysPlace
    @BigHappysPlace 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have the speak and spell Compact that was released around 84 maybe 85. It was a Christmas gift to me. My 8 year old loves it. It doesn't have the display. It does have the add on modules. I have 3 of them. I'm happy to have it.

  • @apollolux
    @apollolux 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Growing up we had a Talking Computron instead of Speak & Spell. I personally have little to no nostalgia for either, unfortunately, but thanks for taking the time to highlight the differences between the rerelease and the original!